On the night of June 3, Saturday, a 21-year old pregnant Muslim woman was burnt alive in an insipid village of Karnataka’s Bijapur district for marrying a Dalit man.

Banu Begum and her 24-year old husband, Sayabanna Sharanappa Konnur of Valmiki tribe, both residents of Gundakanala village, had fallen in love and had kept their relationship hidden from their families for two years.

On January 22, Banu’s parents learnt of Sayabanna and brutally assaulted him.

“Her parents dragged her to the police station and made her file a case of false rape against Sayabanna. They created a huge commotion at the police station while claiming that their daughter was a minor,” said the Talikote Detective Superintendent (DSI), speaking to The Logical Indian.

“The very next day, January 24, they eloped to Goa,” he added.

Banu and Sayabanna decided to live away from their families. They got their marriage registered in February, but decided to come back after Banu got pregnant. During these four months, the couple thought that their families would accept them.

However, they didn’t.

Sayabanna returned to Gundakanala on Saturday morning with his wife and both of them broke the news of Banu’s pregnancy to their families.

“Neither the boy’s nor the girl’s parents were pleased with the match. On Saturday night, when the couple refused to give in to their families’ demands, Sayabanna’s father, brothers and uncle got drunk and brutally beat him up. Banu’s mother, brother and sister also attacked him, with Banu’s mother pelting him with stones,” said the DSI.

Sayabanna had assault marks all over his body, but while he managed to escape, Banu couldn’t.

“He rushed to the police station severely injured and narrated the entire incident. But by the time he got back to save Banu, the family members had already put her on fire,” he added.

Sayabanna kept screaming for help as he sustained minor burns while trying to save his wife. None of Banu’s neighbours came to his aid as they watched her burn and shut their doors on Sayabanna’s cries for help.

The villagers also believed that the young couple were at fault and did not testify against the family members when questioned by the police.

On Sunday, Banu’s mother, sister, brother and Sayabanna’s father were arrested for murder and assault. Banu was stabbed multiple times before being burnt alive.

Four others accused in the case – Banu’s two elder sisters and two brothers – are still are large while the police is trying to find and arrest them.

The Logical Indian take

In a report by Al Jazeera, India had registered an almost 800% increase in the number of “honour” killings last year.

The Indian police registered 251 cases of honour killings in 2015, in comparison to 2014’s 28 reported cases.

In most cases, the victim is a woman.

Honour killings happen for the same reason a crime like rape does – prevalence of patriarchy and discrimination in the society.

These crimes, mostly prevalent in the rural parts of India, are sparked by couples marrying without their parents’ consent. A section of the Indian society does not view marriage as a commitment between two individuals, but as a contract to upload the societal status of families.

As the onus of upholding this status mostly falls upon a woman, it is she who “pollutes the sanctity of the caste system” by marrying someone her parents did not approve of.

But in extreme cases, as relatives turn into murderers for protecting the “dignity” of the family, the questions remains – What is the honour in honour killing?

The Logical Indian strongly condemns the murder of Banu Begum. It is disheartening to see that such instances still prevail in 2017. The only solution that remains with us, as a society, is to educate and spread awareness from the grassroot level about the evils of patriarchy and caste system. We hope that the murderers of Banu are rightly punished and she gets the justice both she and Sayabanna deserve.

[Video] 17-Yr-Old Pregnant Girl Strangulated And Dumped In The Name Of Honour

Rohtak: 20-Yr-Old Girl Strangled To Death By Parents For Marrying Boy From Upper Caste

Partner Story

Know Why This Small Town In Tamil Nadu Is In The Guinness Book Of World Records

Did you know there is a town at the southern tip of India that can be called ‘Heaven on Earth’. Its people realise the importance of keeping the environment clean.

Madukkarai Panchayat in Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu, is the cleanest place in India, owing to around 50 women who wake up every day to collect waste from each and every household in the town. At 6 AM, the women set out to work with their green jackets on, hands covered in gloves and caps adjusted perfectly on their heads. Every morning they line up for the roll call. These ‘Green Friends’ are part of the solid waste management program supported by ACC Cement – Madukkarai.

Madukkarai, a small town at the tip of the country, is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest recycling lesson in the world. With the help of around 50 women, who are now called ‘Green Friends’, and a simple, scalable model, this town is leading the way for efficient waste management. #SwachhBharat

While most of us find someone to put the blame on, Madukkarai decided to take control in their own hands. The town has 8,000 households and a population of 42,000. 82% of the homes hand over garbage to ‘Green Friends’ every day. 1,440 tonnes of garbage is collected annually from the town of 18 wards and 107 streets.

There is a lot that we can learn from Madukkarai. One of the most disturbing realities that we face, despite which part of the country we reside in, is the similar dirt everywhere – garbage piled up on roadside, drains clogged with plastic bags and dogs chewing on the leftover food we have callously thrown on the streets.

We keep our homes clean; make sure that the floors are mopped every day. But why do we not share the same sentiment for our surroundings? We hardly realize that the street outside our home is as much ours as is anybody else’s. We are the ones who use these roads every day to commute. Madukkarai realized this and the importance of a clean environment for our health and well-being.

Guinness Book of World Records for the largest recycling lesson in the world

‘Green Friends’ collect household wastes in eight different bins for wet waste, kitchen waste, plastic waste, etc. This is then disposed in large bins kept in several parts of the town. Trucks pick up this waste daily and take it to the resource recovery park where the garbage is recycled.

The treatment center segregates the different types of wastes. The kitchen waste is converted into fertilizers and given to farmers at extremely low prices to use in cultivation of their crops. The plastic waste is processed to be used in the construction of roads, and also at the large ACC factory where it is used as fuel at high temperatures which does not even cause pollution.

Due to the efforts of ‘Green Friends’, the citizens of Madukkarai, and the municipality, there has been a 60% reduction in landfill waste over the span of three years. There has also been a 50% reduction in the vehicle movement to the landfill sites, 85% of organic waste is converted successfully into vermin compost, ample reduction in the use of fossil fuels, reduction in greenhouse gas emission to 60%, and substantial decrease in the spread of malaria and dengue among the people. Furthermore, barren lands provided for compost yard have been successfully converted into fully functional organic compost yard and non-recyclable waste is used as an alternative energy source for the cement industry.

Madukkarai’s citizens have also become more environment-friendly, with 30% of the households segregating the organic-recyclable waste at home.

What we can learn

Madukkarai has paved the way to the sustainable development of our world. They have shown us that is not impossible to keep our environment clean. All we need is to inculcate in us a concern for mother Earth. It is commendable that ACC is supporting Madukkarai in its venture and helping it stay clean.

We, as citizens of other towns, cities, villages and states in India, have a lot to learn from Madukkarai. We too can have a healthier life if only we care enough and practice our civil duties proudly.